Like many manufacturers, Phase One has been hesitant to officially participate in online forums. There is a risk in having employees post, including the potential of inappropriately revealing confidential information, getting involved in tit for tat exchanges, as well as the challenge of communicating effectively online, which is a language unto itself. It can be a negative experience for a manufacturer.

However recently during some internal discussions at Phase One someone (it wasn't me) indicated that we really should have some interactive presence. A few other manufacturers do and I feel overall it has been a positive for all involved. And really today many manufacturers do participate in online forums, blogs, etc, including some extremely large companies throughout the world. While Phase One employees certainly lurk here, being able to actively participate in dialogue not only further helps our communication to the community, but also helps the company understand the perspectives of the end user more effectively.

So, all that being said, guess who nominated himself against his better judgement? Gone are the free evenings and weekends, the ability to focus on task during the day. But on a certain level, I have also missed participating and instead having to hold my tongue (or fingers).

Since I'm relatively new to Phase One and had very little hands on experience with Phase One in the past, I will at least initially be somewhat limited technically in any responses. In the past my primary purpose was to make sure things were accurate - users or desired users understood what a product could do or could not do, not necessarily how to do it. And I hope to also be able to provide some helpful context from the manufacturers equation in what we're up against day to day. I hope we can learn from each other.

Like many manufacturers, Phase One has been hesitant to officially participate in online forums. There is a risk in having employees post, including the potential of inappropriately revealing confidential information, getting involved in tit for tat exchanges, as well as the challenge of communicating effectively online, which is a language unto itself. It can be a negative experience for a manufacturer.

However recently during some internal discussions at Phase One someone (it wasn't me) indicated that we really should have some interactive presence. A few other manufacturers do and I feel overall it has been a positive for all involved. And really today many manufacturers do participate in online forums, blogs, etc, including some extremely large companies throughout the world. While Phase One employees certainly lurk here, being able to actively participate in dialogue not only further helps our communication to the community, but also helps the company understand the perspectives of the end user more effectively.

Mr. Hendrix,

God, those first two paragraphs were just painful to read. It reads like one of those hostage videos, where the captor forces the prisoner to write a confession note, and admit guilt, and read it publicly to the world. Every word must be chosen carefully, so as not to rile the army.

Either that, or it reads like a letter from a CEO of an American company who's about to announce his Golden Parachute -- again, every word chosen carefully, to be politically correct.

I will today contact the president of Denmark and try to arrange your freedom, so the old Steve Hendrix can return to true form.

Phase One is beyond clueless -- their bad PR in the medium format world is solely of their own making, long before you came to work for them. Ignoring their customers; not communicating with their customers; announcing "road maps" and then never completing the journey; and simple downright arrogance -- THAT is why so many people are disgusted with Phase One.

On the upside, maybe this is the first glimmer of a slight turnaround in their attitude and approach. We can only hope. On second thought, when I talk to the president of Denmark today, I will attempt to negotiate the elevation of Steve Hendrix to upper upper management. Now THAT would be a sign to the world that (maybe) they give one shit about their relations with customers.

Welcome to your freedom. I hope those shackles didn't leave a permanent mark on your arms.

Great to see you in Phase One cloths Steve. Myself I could not be happier having purchased my Phase products through Lance and CI. I actually have nothing to bitch about. It works and looking forward to C1 4.5 Pro on the 15th

I do want that new 45mm 2.8 D when it comes , keep me on the books for that

Like many manufacturers, Phase One has been hesitant to officially participate in online forums. There is a risk in having employees post, including the potential of inappropriately revealing confidential information, getting involved in tit for tat exchanges, as well as the challenge of communicating effectively online, which is a language unto itself. It can be a negative experience for a manufacturer.

However recently during some internal discussions at Phase One someone (it wasn't me) indicated that we really should have some interactive presence. A few other manufacturers do and I feel overall it has been a positive for all involved. And really today many manufacturers do participate in online forums, blogs, etc, including some extremely large companies throughout the world. While Phase One employees certainly lurk here, being able to actively participate in dialogue not only further helps our communication to the community, but also helps the company understand the perspectives of the end user more effectively.

So, all that being said, guess who nominated himself against his better judgement? Gone are the free evenings and weekends, the ability to focus on task during the day. But on a certain level, I have also missed participating and instead having to hold my tongue (or fingers).

Since I'm relatively new to Phase One and had very little hands on experience with Phase One in the past, I will at least initially be somewhat limited technically in any responses. In the past my primary purpose was to make sure things were accurate - users or desired users understood what a product could do or could not do, not necessarily how to do it. And I hope to also be able to provide some helpful context from the manufacturers equation in what we're up against day to day. I hope we can learn from each other.

I'm glad to be back.

Steve HendrixPhase One

Welcome back Steve. I am sure that you will be able to contribute even more information now. Everyone missed you on the forum.LanceLance SchadCapture Integration - Miami/AtlantaDirect: 305-534-5701 x1 | Cell: 305-394-3196 Capture Integration

Now on to the real important stuff. Will Phase have Leica lenses for the Phamiya? When will that 90 degree grip come out and do you think they could change the name of the camera from Phase or Mamiya to Rollei? That would confuse the heck of the competition and look cool when I set the camera down at the country club brunch. There is also the upside that if a Mamiya said Rollei on it, that guy from Estonia would poop in his pants and this would complete the medium format confusion cycle. Think about it.

And one other thing. A lot of us are buying those 5d2's, do you think C1 Version 4.5 will let us tether with them. We all get the hint that this won't happen with the 1ds Mark III, but since the 5d2 is just a toy, why not?

Run this by Phase management and see what they say. No hurry, we don't expect a response soon, we know your with Phase now.

Thanks and welcome back.

Oh btw: do you now have a desk at Capture Integration? Those guys are fast. They have PR out on you before Phase One does.

Great to see you in Phase One cloths Steve. Myself I could not be happier having purchased my Phase products through Lance and CI. I actually have nothing to bitch about. It works and looking forward to C1 4.5 Pro on the 15th

I do want that new 45mm 2.8 D when it comes , keep me on the books for that

I hope those books have 2010 written on them...:+{

Also I'll keep this in this same post,I just wrote to Phase the other day saying exactly what Steve has been introduced for. Phase has the Lamest to repsonse on questions and a perfect example of that is their Shitty forum that never goes anywhere and answer never get answered....Also what the hell is up with 4.5.. Better be out for the 15th or you guys are going to look more like morons than ever. Not sure if it is the cold country living but there seems to always be a cold Public relations coming from Phase.. They every once in a while talk BS about some new Produc and they take several years to develop it by which at that time it is already looking out of date.

As far as the LCD.. yeh a lot bitch in here that they do not need it, they are a handful, but most would like it and need it. Or do the same boneheads saying that feel the other companies are doing it just for the heck of it??Come on now get real.Phase better come out with some new lens, better LCD, I don't care about the 3 landscape guys that don't care about the lcd, that is BS.

I really love my P30 but was temtped and am tempted to Move all to Leaf here soon with the new Hy6 or AFI cameras. Syncing at high speed is important enough to me to do that. And I can get one MUCH sooner than the phase one vaporware products!

So there steve you have a couple of first post you can clear for us maybe...:+}

PS> Maye your little study group of photographers are not capable of telling you what "we" really need to be done with future Phase One backs.Have you thought about that?Get someone like James Russel in there to stir up the designers!!:+}Snook

Also I'll keep this in this same post,I just wrote to Phase the other day saying exactly what Steve has been introduced for. Phase has the Lamest to repsonse on questions and a perfect example of that is their Shitty forum that never goes anywhere and answer never get answered....Also what the hell is up with 4.5.. Better be out for the 15th or you guys are going to look more like morons than ever. Not sure if it is the cold country living but there seems to always be a cold Public relations coming from Phase.. They every once in a while talk BS about some new Produc and they take several years to develop it by which at that time it is already looking out of date.

As far as the LCD.. yeh a lot bitch in here that they do not need it, they are a handful, but most would like it and need it. Or do the same boneheads saying that feel the other companies are doing it just for the heck of it??Come on now get real.Phase better come out with some new lens, better LCD, I don't care about the 3 landscape guys that don't care about the lcd, that is BS.

I really love my P30 but was temtped and am tempted to Move all to Leaf here soon with the new Hy6 or AFI cameras. Syncing at high speed is important enough to me to do that. And I can get one MUCH sooner than the phase one vaporware products!

So there steve you have a couple of first post you can clear for us maybe...:+}

PS> Maye your little study group of photographers are not capable of telling you what "we" really need to be done with future Phase One backs.Have you thought about that?Get someone like James Russel in there to stir up the designers!!:+}Snook

Besides all that, welcome!!

Obviously you can't be happy with a product and say so. 5 days for C1 BTW. You need the link to get it than or can you find your way.

Well thank you everyone for the kind and direct words. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I will say for now that there is a lot that is going on with Phase One in front of and behind the scenes. We certainly have our challenges, but we also have the largest base of installed users of any medium format digital brand and you don't attain that position without doing some things right. But challenges do come up and we're certainly facing them like anyone else.

I can say that C1Pro 4.5 will certainly be ready next Tuesday the 15th. I know this took a lot longer than anyone - including us - wanted it to. But it's here, I've played with a beta version some and I think anyone who grabs it will be glad they did.

Right now I don't have enough information to speculate on delivery times or confirmations on some of the things that have been asked about - vertical grip, Leica details, leaf shutters, etc. Hopefully that picture will get clearer (along with other things) soon.

I will look into a list of what products tether to C1 Pro 4.5 and get back to you on that.

Yes, it's a little different stepping in here in the position I'm in now compared to where I was before, so please be patient with me as I get warmed up if I seem to tread a bit carefully at first.

Obviously you can't be happy with a product and say so. 5 days for C1 BTW. You need the link to get it than or can you find your way.

Guy,

You may not like Snook's message but take it for real because he's a full retail paying customer and is just asking for what Phase One promised. Snook didn't make up the term leaf shutter lenses coming soon, that came from Phase.

And Guy, none of us care what deals you have with anyone, but obviously you have something cooking with CI because you mention their name more times than John McCain mentions the term Maverick.

And let's not blow any smoke here. There are more deals and brand loyalty floating around this forum than at a G8 summit, so let's stop the everything is perfect in Phase One land ( or Sinar or Leaf or Hasselblad Land ) and talk straight because the only real problem with Phase One is they can't keep their message on track, or give out any real information that allows someone to really decide if they want to stay or leave.

Phase missed there own deadlines on the software and from Annoucakina their demonstration crashed, so that doesn't make anyone that works for a living too happy to hear that.

As far as communication, Steve, your going to have more work cut out for you than if you just became the political ambassador for the Kremlin. Phase doesn't talk and if they do, they don't talk where anyone can understand what the hell they are saying.

How about trying this. When a customer asks 12 questions, answer all 12, not the three that sound good. If Phase is using old russian glass, then say so. If C-1 will never tether a 1ds3 then say so. Keep it straight.

The funny thing about Phase is they make one hell of a good product and have by all accounts 1/2 the market. Imagine how well they would do if they just shot straight and answered a question or two like does V 4.5 tether with a Canon.

The second funny thing is they did a lot more work on that plastic Mamiya than they tell. They reworked the electronics and made a much better camera and if they could stop taking 4 week holidays they could probably get the lenses out faster.

That Mamiya platform may not have the bling of a Rollei or a Leica, but it does have a focal plane shutter and CAN have leaf shutter lenses to boot. That is something the HY6 and the blad will never be able to do, but first they better start making some glass and get it on the shelves. Second they MUST open up the line of communication with a no B.S. response, because if they don't offer more than Hasselblad, at current prices they will lose market share.

Now one other thing, if they are going to stick with the Mamiya name or Phamiya name they better get to better prices, because like it or not bling does carry some weight.